Do you think the popularity of test cricket has decreased in recent years?

Question

The International Cricket Council is planning on meeting with the MCC's world cricket committee to look at proposals to boost the popularity of Test cricket amid fears the increasing number of Twenty20 tournaments are eroding the popularity of the sport's longer form.

http://au.sports.yahoo.com/cricket/news/article/-/5779844/cricket-chiefs-consider-test-championship

What do you think? Have you been less inclined to go to the cricket when it's a whole 5 day test now that there are shorter 20-20 options or do you still love the longer format? When you're at a test match do you think crowds have been smaller?

Answer 1

I doubt whether the T20 format itself is a reason for the dwindling popularity of Test cricket. People like the slam-bang 20-overs version, but the traditional fans still adore test cricket. People chose to watch T20 cricket, as it is short and entertaining, not as an alternative to test cricket. There have been no crossover from test cricket to T20 for real cricket fans.

The thinning attendance for test matches could be attributed to various factors

1. People now have a lot of professional committments, and the newer generation lacks patience. And if we look at the attendance on weekends, it's much better than that on weekdays.

2. All the matches are telecast live, and everyone is satisfied with watching them on TV. And they get a clearer picture on TV.



I like test cricket. There's no alternative to test cricket. It's a war, complete with strategies and tactics. Not a brawl in the nightclub called T20 cricket.

Answer 2

No. I don't think so. It doesn't mean that you don't go to the oval means that your interest in test cricket is on the wane or gone. There are quite a few reasons why people don't go to see a test match.

Firstly, tickets have become too pricey. Secondly, people cannot find the time these days because of work constraints and responsibility. Times are hard these days moreover the boss has become less tolerant. Thirdly, one can see the test match from his lounge or on big screen at his local watering hole because of TV affordability.

I would also like to add that there was a time that Australia was too powerful as a cricketing nation. This meant that the outcome of the result was anticipated and hence the interest waned. For cricket's sake things have come around with the Indians and South Africans just as good. Given a test match between Australia and India, one can still expect a crowd between 70,000 - 80,000 at the MCG or 100,000 at the Eden Gardens, Calcutta. Because of this exceptional circumstance of literally seeing a superiority battle on the pitch, the crowd will come. If one thinks that T20 is the go these days, he is not watching a 'test' of superiority. As we had recently witnessed at the last T20 World Cup when the favourites India and Australia made a very early exit. The game results in form at the moment and what team can survive the slog. Its just fun cricket and a money spinner but ask the players if they take the game seriously, they will say no.

But at the end of the day I hate to conclude as to which is more important, money or the game. The ICC will decide. If they want quick money they will give priority to T20. If its for the love and glory of cricket, they will keep the test flag fluttering. We will not be the ones to decide. We will have to accept what they dish out.

Answer 3

It has in certain countries.



What Twenty20 has done is showcase the fact that Cricket Grounds can be full. In most Twenty20 matches around the world, the attendances are full. In Test Cricket around the world, most stadiums are only half-full.



Clearly at this stage Twenty20 is more popular than Test Cricket!.



However does Test Cricket need to be revolutionized? I don't think so. In the late 70's after the "Packer Era" Cricket was at it's most popular point since the early days of W.G. ODI Cricket was starting to gather popularity but still Test Cricket was the main form of the game. Both Tests and ODI matches were being played to full houses of rowdy supporters. This was 30 years ago, however i believe Test Cricket can go back to being popular again.



In the late 70's they didn't need a Test Championship to make Tests popular. This was because Test Cricket was delightful show back then. Test matches involved fiery fast bowlers steaming in on fair pitches against the world's best batsmen. Test Cricket back then had DRAMA.



Drama is the key word for me. Tests in this era, don't have drama and that's why Test Cricket has lost it's popularity.



The recent series between the West Indies and England highlighted my point. 30 years ago, the public of West Indies would gather in any seat possible to watch there heroes take on the English or Aussies in a Test Match. In the recent series between the West Indies & England there were only a few 100 West Indians in the stadium.



The attendances have fallen because Test Cricket is predictable now. Around the world we see Test Matches played on placid pitches, a contest completely one-sided in the batsmen's favour. Too often we see Test Matches where both teams score 500 runs and the match turns into a draw.



Why does this happen? Money. Boards need the revenue in which 5 days Test Cricket gives. They are putting money over the fans enjoyment of the game.



However Test Cricket isn't completely lost yet. I'm from England and Test Cricket's popularity remains stronger than ever here. I went to a Test Match last year between England & South Africa and the Ground was packed for the whole day. England still loves Test Cricket and the reason i believe is because English pitches are FAIR.



In England pitches offer something for the bowlers and the batsmen! This means that the Test Matches won't be one-sided, and both teams have a chance. Test Cricket in England is rarely one-sided. Test Cricket here can capture the imagination of a public still. Remember 2005?



My last thought on this subject is that Twenty20 is not a bad omen for Test Cricket. Twenty20 can entertain pure Cricket fans and can reel in fans who may have not been interested in Cricket before Twenty20. These fans could then be converted into Test Cricket fans, if Test Cricket can remain interesting enough.



Lastly. I love Test Cricket. I always will. It seems like the attendances grow every year when England are playing Test Cricket, and more and more grounds around England want to host it.



However i enjoy watching Twenty20 too.

Answer 4

I would say the popularity has been affected to some extent and it's mostly because the fast paced life-style of new generation and the emergence of T20 cricket.



But still the best stuff can only be seen only in test cricket and probably that's why its hardest for a player to survive in it as requires technique and temperament. My busy life and work schedule would would prefer ODI or T20 than Test cricket. no reason to tell why? everyone knows........



crowds have definitely gone smaller but NOT to an extent that we should start worrying. The thing we can do is to maintain an equilibrium between all forms of cricket, while deciding the itinerary for any country and leave rest to the public. A person who has knowledge about cricket would definitely not stop following Test Cricket just because the smaller versions are there.



hope it helps.....

Answer 5

Yes. I think this is due in part to the fact that there is now no break in cricket - it seems that there is always some sort of cricket happening and on TV rather than the excitement of building up to the cricket season after a break.



I still watch test cricket on TV (can't get to matches because live in Nth Qld) and enjoy it but I also think that it is not such a bad thing that Australia is doing it hard during the Ashes tour this year so that other countries feel that there is a chance for them to win rather than constantly being dominated by Australia - also makes for a more exciting match when there is a bit of competition.



Hopefully some incentives can be offered to the West Indies team to bring them back into a more comprtitive situation

Answer 6

I think we are losing Test Cricket, the players are tired after playing in India 20/20 Matches. They play far to much Cricket in general 8/9 Months a Year. They are retiring earlier to play 20/20 because like all sport it is all about Money these days. The Old Boys Club Gentleman image has long gone from English Cricket and younger crowds today do not have the patience to sit through days of the Ashes Test Matches, they do want quicker results.

Answer 7

Yes, I think the popularity of test cricket has decreased, mainly due to the rise of Twenty20 format.



From a strategic perspective test matches are the pinnacle but, from an action standpoint twenty20 rules.



Perhaps the ODI games are the ones in the next 10 years that will be cut?

Answer 8

Test cricket is still popular,for those who have an understanding of the game.

Spectator attendance is low because all days of a Test are not equally exciting.It can get boring in between.

Crowds are smaller for Test matches,that's true.

A Test championship can certainly help because there is something big at stake to be won,not just a bilateral series.

Spectator interest will definitely go up.

Answer 9

There has been no sign of Test Cricket dying over in Britain.

The matches have been sold out and the atmosphere had been extraordinary. The last day of the Third Test was sold out and people were lining up 2 hours before the start of play to buy tickets and get in.

If anything, T20 cricket raises the fan base, gets people interested in all forms of the game.

Cricket will never die, and Test Cricket is the Heart of Cricket.

Answer 10

Yes Ofcourse, There are numerous reasons for diminishing popularity of Test Cricket 1.) First in today modern era people hardly have much time for One Day. In such a case 5 Days long Test Match will be much Longer. 2.) Making thing much worse, T20, IPL are making people of India Find Even One Day Matches Longer. So, I think this is the main reason Test Matches are finding its popularity decreasing.

Answer 11

Competition from more viewer friendly options like 20-20 or 1 day matches where there is almost always a winner. Watching 5 day matches is like watching paint dry. Cricket is a game, not a sport. If it were a sport they would be like netballers, motorsports and many other sports that do it regardless of the weather. I mean . . . driving a car at 200km/h in the rain has got to be more dangerous than falling asleep on an oval amongst other white leghorns.

Answer 12

I have just started playing 20-20 cricket after a 15year break.

It is a fantastic game and will bring more people into cricket...

HOWEVER

Nothing compares to a test match. Any true cricket lover could not do without the sustained tension and pressure of a hard fought test match.

The test match is still the premier form of the game and a joy to watch.

Answer 13

I can see the point of why this would happen, however I prefer the 50 over game. I feel the twenty20 form is too short and has a lot of luck involved. I feel Australian popularity in cricket has decreased as the team isn't so dominate.

Answer 14

Actually to me test crowds have gotten bigger and that is a good thing. I love test matches because it is Cricket. Keep Twenty20 for the IPL and stuff and try to get ODIs popular again because I find them more exciting and skillful then Twenty20

Answer 15

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Answer 16

Yes Femme I agree wirth you. Until recently every time an Aussie walked to the crease the Aussie team was usually on its way to another win within 3-4 days. Boring! I don't like the 20/20 flog and slog format. And we've got the Sri Lankans to thank for breathing some life into the one day game. Remember when 60 was considered the norm for the first 15 overs and then the slow grind until the 45th? I think the tests should be reduced to 4 days with whoever is in front at 6pm on the 4th day declared the winner. Get rid of the draws!

Answer 17

I love 5 day test cricket. even saw Don Bradman bat at the Oval.

Twenty20 is fun, more likely to attract today's youngsters who seem to want everything to happen almost instantly.

Give me a 5 day test every time, but yes, crowds are smaller more is the pity.

Our UK weather doesn't help either!

.

Answer 18

Test cricket is like proper cricket. 20/20 is entertaining and fun to watch but it will never replace the tests.

Answer 19

No! its on the increase! restrict 20/20 and go back to the long form most people like to watch it over the five days...it's more relaxed and that is what cricket is about!

Answer 20

I have been a Cricket fan since days of Rohan Kanhai/Sobers/Lawry, etc. I think 5 days tests are time consuming in these days of fast life. People/Spectators like fast action.20-20 are a little to short. I think and believe 40-50 over games are just right to watch and compare as to which is the ideal team to win the match.I would not be surprised that by 2020 5 day tests become obsolete.

M.patel

Answer 21

Personally, in an age of the Internet, pay TV, as well as, HD, and digital TV, these technological revolutions in telecommunication transmission has revolutionised quick access information transfer. Subsequently, peoples' attention span have diminished accordingly with so much choices in the selection, ie, in sport, docos, movies, etc.



Test cricket, like tennis, golf, etc, run for days on end, unlike tennis and golf, where there is a process of elimination, test cricket, in its two innings format, is, for the new age cricket lover, as appealing as watching paint dry, it is appealling only for the hard core test cricket fan base. As for a nascent audience appeal, or for the more fickle minded sports couch potatoe, and, especially, the betting man, test cricket is too drawn out and boring.



Sports bets, TAB, and other gambling institutions, would wager on a test result, particularly, from the Ashes series. For the most eager punters the result is too slow in coming and most punters would rather see a result as fast as possible.



Test cricket is too boring in the age of Internet and HD and digital TV.



Test cricket is waning in popularity, save only for the seasoned hard core fan base.

Answer 22

absolutely not, with greater competition from india, south africa and england, test cricket, i believe is going through a resurgence. lets not forget australia had a test cricket team before we had a country; its a sport that is not about to die. Test cricket is the ultimate test of sporting ability and will remain so.

Answer 23

I dont like longer form of cricket,20-20 is much better.I am a big fan of cricket,so i would like to suggest to increase the popularity of cricket by introducing 20-20 match much more widely

Answer 24

cricket standards have declined since the 90s-the quality bowlers have gone and the batsmen of this era can get away with poor technique thanks to the bats and poor bowlers-test cricket is the ultimate form but the quality is very poor-20/20 and 50 over is taking over for the younger generation

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Answer 26

Cricket as a whole has gone down the toilet, the players today are sooks and not real men. I used to love cricket and even went to both test matches and one dayers, now I don't even bother to watch it. The downfall started with that sook of all sooks Kym Hughes and continued from there, when we get back to the basics and back to having characters playing cricket like in the 70's early 80's then I think alot of people will start watching again. Get rid of the WAG's no one finds them remotely interesting go back to being like Lillee, Marsh, Lloyd, Richards, Khan, where are the Shane Warne's? Bring back the friendly rivalry like that between Lillee and Javed Mindad.

Answer 27

I still love the longer format. I have been to a few test matches in Hamilton, NZ, and I think the quieter but still excited atmosphere of a test match is far better than the rowdy atmosphere you get in a limited overs game.



I thought the crowds at the two most recent tests I attended (against England and India) were not small enough to worry about the future of test cricket.



However there have been some State Championship (the NZ 4-day domestic competition) matches I have attended with only a handful of people there, compared with a couple of matches of limited overs domestic matches I have attended where the crowd was much bigger, and that is a concern.

Answer 28

I hope you people who are turning away from tests are wrong about it being boring etc but it seems you are becoming the majority.I love my test matches....Its like a game of chess to me and I love every minute of it...but then again I love all cricket.I must be a dying breed.Sob!



People might need to slow down and get away from this instant gratifiction thing.



Oh,and Christopher,what are you even doing here then.Go away and stop wasting space with your 'informed' answers.

Answer 29

It is not the game that changed ... it is the selectors' attitudes.



Andrew (Roy) Simmons was treated harshly on things that Marsh, Boon and Warne were able to get away with.

Even the selectors own team mates from yester-year would have problems.



Bring Roy Back

Answer 30

Yes it is fare more interesting to watch ,one day,Or 20/20.

test cricket is very enjoyable,If you have 4/5 days to do nothing in,..

Answer 31

Test cricket is rubbish! All cricket is rubbish. I would rather watch the sydney harbour bridge RUST! or watch a lemon tree grow. The use of electricity for the purpose of allowing people to watch cricket should be stopped, or people should be charged more. (Climate change tax). In fact how can anyone call it a world game? what, maybe ten countrys play it. And most being third world at best.

Answer 32

Yes, test cricket is losing it. We live in a fast paced society. I think it's because it takes 5 days to reach a decision makes it boring and time consuming. No one can afford to spend all this time just to sit and watch the game.

Answer 33

Meh.. I hate cricket it isn't a sport!!!

AFL

Tennis

Rugby

Basketball

They are sports not standing around waiting for a ball the fly in the air so you can catch it!!! and seriously dont bother criticising me ive heard it all before!!

Answer 34

No - I go to them all. The crowds are good on the weekend.

I went in Adelaide when the ozzies claimed the Ashes in 2007.

i have been since as well but that was very special.

Answer 35

Living in country, I watch all cricket on tv,but I prefer test because of the battle,pride,team spirit,the baggy green cap,etc

Answer 36

It could never be less popular for me. Watching cricket is like watching grass grow or like watching nails rust.

Answer 37

Who cares? It's the most boring sport on the planet, I'm not surprised it's losing support.



They show the best parts on the news anyway

Answer 38

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Answer 39

Test cricket is the purest form of the game, and by far the most interesting from a strategic perspective.



I really don't think the popularity has decreased, but the shorter, TV friendly, forms of cricket are more easily popularised.



New people discovering cricket for the first time find it easier to consume a day/night or night 20-20 match without the time investment required for a 5 day test.



Once hooked on cricket, they quickly move onto the harder and more enjoyable version that is Test Cricket.



If you'll excuse the addiction reference:



Twenty20 = Cigarettes

One Day Cricket = Marijuana

Test Cricket = Cocaine

Answer 40

No. I went to the West Indies/New Zealand test match at the University Oval in Dunedin and even though it was pouring with rain for ages they were still only 500 under capacity. Also if you stick around in this section there are far more people bragging about their prowess as a test nation as there are people bragging about their prowess as a t20 nation.

Answer 41

Well I usually don't go to a Test match, but nonetheless I enjoy watching it.



Test cricket will always be #1.

Answer 42

I'm sorry, I'll get shouted down I know, but blame it on the money grubbing Indians

Answer 43

I like ODIs and Twenty20 because they finish in a day. but I don't like to waych test cricket because it takes 5 days to finish the match and also mostly it draws. so I dont like test cricket and I think popularity of test cricket has decreased in recent years.

Answer 44

It has probably decreased because half the people who watched it, slipped into a coma.

Answer 45

NO I THINK THE NUMBER OF NEW PEOPLE ATTRACTED TO 20/20 GAMES WHO PREVIOUSLY DID NOT FOLLOW CRICKET makes it appear that way sorry for caps just realised lol

Answer 46

i just reckon the overall popularrity is going down. people are more interested in watching footy

Answer 47

I dont watch or go to the cricket never have or never will cause it is the most boring game ever

Answer 48

What's test cricket?

Does that answer your question.

Answer 49

I hope not. I enjoy test cricket above ODI and T/20

Answer 50

yes

Answer 51

Yes, you know a game is too long when the idea for shortening it is to make it go for ONE DAY

Answer 52

yep

Answer 53

I just love getting the beers for ny soon to be x boyfriend and his mates and then we get on it. Its great fun

Answer 54

Yes, lol I agree with Femme

Answer 55

I would say so.

Answer 56

Yes it is decreasing because everytime an Aussie picks up a bat, the whole stadium runs out.

Answer 57

no